Wexford, seaport and county seat, County Wexford, Ireland, on the River Slaney. The name Wexford derives from the Norse settlement of Waesfjord. It was an early colony of the English, having been taken by Robert FitzStephen in 1169. The town received a charter in 1317, which was extended in 1411 by Henry IV and in 1558 by Elizabeth I; subsequent charters were granted in 1608 and 1686 by James I and James II, respectively. It was besieged and sacked by the forces of Oliver Cromwell in 1649 and captured and garrisoned for William III in 1690. Wexford lost its charter under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act, 1840, but was granted another in 1846. After the 2006 census, Wexford extended its municipal limits to include built-up areas surrounding it, which greatly increased its population.
Some remains of the old walls and of one of the five towers of the town still exist. The deconsecrated Protestant church, alongside the ruins of the ancient abbey of St. Sepulchre, is said to occupy the spot on which the treaty between the Irish and the English invaders was signed in 1169. Wexford Harbour, formed by the Slaney estuary, is large, though a bar prevents the entrance of vessels drawing more than 12 feet (4 metres); an artificial harbour was opened in 1906 at Rosslare, which is connected with Wexford by rail and is served by passenger vessels from Fishguard, Wales. Wexford’s principal exports are livestock and agricultural produce. The town’s industries are based on agriculture and light engineering. Wexford is a base for salmon- and sea-fishing districts, the centre of a tourist area, and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ferns. Pop. (2006) 8,854; (2011) 19,913.